Elliot, A Soldier's Fugue is a short, terse play
that manages to say a lot in only seventy minutes. A
finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2007, Quiara Alegría
Hudes' tale about a Puerto Rican-American family veers back
and forth in time as it spans three generations, three
hometowns and three wars. It's a sobering and gripping
saga, and director José M. Aviles' production makes the
clashes abroad and at home equally compelling.

Elliot
Ortiz, a 2002 graduate of Philadelphia's Edison High, joins
the Marines and ships out to Iraq because he wants to be
like his father (a Vietnam veteran) and his grandfather (who
served in Korea). Pop and Grandpop never told Elliot about
the horrors of war, and when Elliot faces nightmares and
injuries, he's unprepared. Hudes' play shows us what
Elliot's been missing, as all three generations take turns
telling their stories. Grandpop, a musician, focuses on the
Bach fugues he plays on the flute for his unit and how they
help him focus on something other than death. Pop chronicles
his anguish, pouring his heart out in letters homeletters
that Grandpop dismisses. Elliot's mother served as a nurse
in Vietnam, and in the 21st century she's still a caregiver
and a nurturer, only now she focuses on her garden and how
it gives her life meaning. "When your son goes to war," she
says, "you plant every goddamn seed you can find. It doesn't
matter what the seed is. So long as it grows." She's an
earth mother in more ways than one.

All the characters
have distinct voices, and each is hauntingly poetic. The
four actors create a live aural collage as they take turns
reciting military code, letters sent home, and even stage
directions. Meanwhile, the spare but effective set and the
moody lighting and sound design complement the words
perfectly, creating a claustrophobic atmosphere. The
theatergoer feels trapped along with Elliot.

The major
failing of Elliot, A Soldier's Fugue is the lack of
interaction between the characters. Most of the play
consists of monologues; the one scene that breaks the mold,
the story of how Elliot's parents met in Vietnam, falls
flat. Yet, thanks to its flurry of words and torrents of
emotion, Avilés' production never seems static. Ephraim
López (as Elliot) and Johanna Carden (as his mother) have an
engaging openness, while Nick Anselmo (Pop) and Edward Furs
(Grandpop) show the transition from bright-eyed recruit to
jaded veteran with touching clarity.

Elliot, A
Soldier's Fugue runs through March 14, 2010 at the
Walnut Street Theatre Independence Studio on 3, 825 Walnut
Street, Philadelphia. Tickets are $30, and are available by
calling the box office at 215-574-3550, online at
www.walnutstreettheatre.org or www.ticketmaster.com, or by
visiting the box office.